Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State has ordered the total lockdown of four of the local government areas of the state.
This was disclosed in a statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Funke Egbemode, on Saturday.
The affected local government areas are Ilesa East, Ilesa West, Atakumosa East and Atakumosa West.
They are to be locked down for seven days in the first instance.
According to Egbemode, the decision was the fallout of the meeting between the government and stakeholders from the area.
The lockdown is expected to commence on July 7.
However, if the compliance level is not encouraging, Egbemode said, the government will announce further extension.
The state also said it was closely monitoring other Local Government Areas with rising numbers of those testing positive for COVID-19 and may in the days ahead lock down more areas.
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However, the relaxation in other areas of the state has been extended by two weeks.
Egbemode further said the decision to impose a total lockdown on the four local government areas was aimed at containing the spread of the virus in that axis of the State, noting that government had every reason to believe that it was already witnessing what looked more like a community transmission in the area and as such there was need to come up with measures to arrest the trend.
The Commissioner stressed that the lockdown would be total.
Residents and citizens in that axis will not have opportunity to go to worship centres and markets during the period.
They will only be allowed to shop within their neighbourhood.
Under the lockdown, there would be no vehicular movement within the affected areas.
Only those on essential duties such as health, fire service, environmental officials, security personnel, power and water supply agencies, media and telecommunication officers will be allowed to move.
Egbemode also revealed that intra-state travel to and within the affected communities and to other parts of the State is banned during the period of the lockdown, warning that violators of the lockdown order will be severely dealt with.
